CMS7 - Patch Management does not detect change in the PMIMPORT.CAB

Pascal.KOTTE's picture

So we must uncheck the option "download only if modified", to force the download the latest CAB & getting correctly updates.

It is a pretty curious because if we look at: http://www.solutionsam.com/imports/7_0/patch/microsoft/pmimport.cab
We see the XML file contains additionnal newest XML files, not in the current C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Downloads\pmimport.cab
When manual ask for a download, the log result is:

Log File Name: C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\Logs\a.log
Priority: 2
Date: 7/21/2009 11:56:55 AM
Tick Count: 1805852250
Host Name: X1
Process: AtrsHost (8288)
Thread ID: 64
Module: AtrsHost.exe
Source: Altiris.PatchManagementCore.Tasks.Server.PMResourceImportTask.ExecuteTask
Description: ItemTask 'Microsoft Patch Management Import' - http://www.solutionsam.com/imports/7_0/patch/micro... has not changed since the last download. It will NOT be downloaded

So to workaround: uncheck & download same file each day, except once a month, or 2 :-(

1)
I have one customer reporting this bug, not yet from others, but most ours are still in version CMS 6 ;-)
Any body else getting this same problem ?

2)
We were also surprise the long time takes the Client to report vulnerabilities, when deploying new agents (with patch plugin), all the same we force the patch cycle...
50% of the clients was not reporting (online clients), and must wait for 2 days before all reporting correctly.
Any body else get same 50% immediat patch report result, waiting for others?

jessek's picture

Same thing here

I noticed this several weeks back.  We had been getting updated pmimport.cab files for months, but then suddenly, I want to say sometime in May, we stopped getting updates and the logs kept saying that there were no pmimport.cab changes.  This was obviously not the case so I did the same thing that you did - scheduled full downloads.

I haven't noticed the issue with vulnerabilities getting reported, but I haven't been running any reports to look for that.

Jesse Kozikowski
Aspirus, Inc.

jessek's picture

I will say this, though. 

I will say this, though.  I have seen many "incomplete" software updates, even after reboots have occurred.  I have also seen plenty of PCs reporting that a reboot is pending even after reboots have occurred.

Jesse Kozikowski
Aspirus, Inc.

Pascal.KOTTE's picture

thanks your reply - So nice not to be alone in the grey zone ;-)

If there are enough people feedback confirming the same, & nobody reporting it works for them, I believe we can think about BUG report escalation to Symantec ;-)

~~PaKo @ www.BeMore.ch (Sorry for the Bad English, did you speak French ? Join us https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/groups/gro... )

jharings's picture

I have seen this as well

whether the reboot was done by Altiris or manually (with a subsequent patch inventory run afterwards), the compliance reports showed that the system(s) were not compliant and needed a reboot. The registry key on the client definitely indicated that a reboot was not required.

Jim Harings
Technical Solutions Consultant
Xcend Group
http://xcendgroup.com

bkaulins's picture

work around -

work around -

go to >  C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Downloads\pmimport.cab and rename it to pmimport.old

Next run the pmi import again and all should be good for at least the most current.